Jiyeesha
The Jiyeesha is the royal armed forces of the Caliphate of Haison. The central structure of the organization has existed for some two-hundred fifty years. The prior forms have been largely comprised of militias levied from urban populations and tribes, or the royal retinue. Though in its reformed state the military continues to retain branches directly related to its ancient models. Service in the armed forces is compulsory for men between the ages of 17-21 unless a valid exception can be raised. Draftees are required to serve a minimum three-year service. After relegation with the navy or armed merchants the Jiyeesha mobilizes roughly 350,000 active duty combat personnel with an additional 100,000-200,000 reserve veteran personnel. Non-combat supportive roles are rarely counted, but believed to be another 200,000 in bureaucratic, logistical, intelligence, and public-liaison roles. History Antiquity Centralized governance among the Hamalfite peoples was often scant and rare. As such so too was the existence of a standing army. Though exceptions stand throughout the history with the many strong flair-ups of powerful being capable of fielding a standing army. Within the exceptions is the Emperor Shizad al-Girozi who held a brief army and ordered a standing force of professional cavalry. Professionally trained and structured aristocratically they were attributed to his brief unification of the Hamalfite tribes. Although with his death the generals and officers of his new Cataphracts cut the Empire among themselves and established their own principalities, as the heart of Giroz's claim sank beneath the sands. Few other kingdoms have managed to acquire the resources or master the means to field a standing force such as that again, relying on tribal levies as the core of their military force, often fighting with the bow or lance. Mujahadeen The Mujahadeen - holy warriors - of Mombadin himself were the second semi-successful centralized military unit. Much of Mombadin's early army was a collective of slaves and scattered outcasts who came to witness his visions. As the army grew it took on a much more aristocratic structure, with the tribal emirs who professed themselves to the prophet becoming his officers and field commanders. Mombadin's sons as well established themselves as prominent commanders in his army, leading campaigns or conducting their own independent excursions using the professional "holy warriors" who surrendered themselves before the two goddesses. Mombadin kept a wise eye to the ultimate failure of Giroz and ordered his army so that no one Emir or commander had ultimate authority. The roles and designation of their duties held as equally powerful, reigning over the upkeep of the unit, operations of the unit, and scouting capabilities of the unit as well as coordination with others. Likewise, no one tribe had sole command over the reformed structure of Mombadin. On his death the army did not break down to attempt to seize power for themselves, largely stalled by arranging themselves. But by which point Rashdun ascended to the throne and was capable of imposing authority. The unity of the holy warriors was however doomed to last as long as Mombadin and much of the volunteers retired home after mourning had passed. The Mombadid dynasty was able to maintain the remnants, but only for so long as a specialized group of professional fighters in the larger, now levee army. When the Mombadid dynasty faded, so too did the Mujahad. Modern Revival The standing army was successfully revived during the Safferid Dynasty to the beginnings of its modern form. Following the early reforms that distanced the Caliphate from hereditary governorship to merit-based, appointment Saffersamid ibn-Ali al-Safferid issued a royal decree, abolishing the levee tradition and ordering the construction of a military institution for land and sea, inspired by a loss of victory and standing a untrained, non-professional armed forces was no longer deemed necessary. Inspired by the bureaucratic structure of Mombadin the decree issued the creation of the Royal Commanding Post of Field Duties, the Royal Commanding Post of Procurement, and The Royal Commanding Post of Word. These posts operated as positions under the three designated military offices of the Jiyeesha (regular Hamalfite troops), the Janissaries or Yeniçeri (non-Hamalfite born, regulars), and the Zhayedan (aristocratic regulars, the new court regular army). The order also created the formal navy as well as the armed, anti-piracy navy the armed merchants. The later of which is largely semi-professional merchant marines tasked to ward off pirates and to defend Hamalfite waters. Second reforms Following Saffersamid the military was reformed a second time by Khodor ibn-Michidindi, expanding the posts from three to nine posts of command: Manpower, intelligence, field operations, logistics, planing, signal, training, resources, and civilian affairs. Khodor as well administrated out to designate a number of permanent divisions based geographically across the Empire. The Jiyeesha and Jannisaries are often tasked together in the same divisions and commanded as a single unit, only really considered separately when membership composition is considered. In the case of the palace, Haison, and the Arsenal is considered the Zhayedan are incorporated as a separate, but complimentary unit. Organization Along with the Janissaries the Jiyeesha can be broken down into three distinct corps, splitting tactical functions in the field. These being: * The Cavalry corp * The Infantry corp * The Artillery corp By and large the corps are divided up on a as-needed basis between the military districts as needed. Components Centralization Prior to the reforms the management of an armed forces relied on the abilities and whims of the emirs of the Hamalfite realms. In periods the ruling Sultans before Mombadin and later himself and the following Caliphs enjoyed the occasional ability to raise a body of soldiers, but this was often reflective of the head-of-state's popularity among the Emirs who would raise a centralized army for use by the state. This feudal method of raising and deploying an armed force meant that in the end the strength, size, and organization of the army was considerably fluid and difficult to control. The core of this fluid fighting force were the Mujahadeen who partook in conflict as per religious inspiration, but as a whole their presence on the field was determined by the validity in the conflict as per religious notions of the tribes and clans they originated from. The standing army reforms of Saffersamid ibn-Ali al-Safferid created the organizational structures to raise and maintain a large standing force permanently attached to the head-of-state. The "Royal Decree to the Emirs" first laid out a legal obligation to the tribal nomadic emirs to raise from their own clans and the larger tribe an obligatory offering of soldiers that formed an early back bone and the early retinue; this decree would be reformed in later years as the "Decree of Tribal Levees" that changed the focus of the tribal conscripts from the back-bone to a supporting role often enrolled in the cavalry department. Saffersamid's later decree "The Royal Position on Private Retinues" formally abolished the legal authority of the emirs to hold and maintain private armies for their own purpose. From then on authority to maintain an army was passed on to the crown itself allowing for the Caliph to raise a fighting force permanently attached to himself. The "Degree Pertaining to Interior Organization" later established the command structure of this force and where and when it might be used and on who, this decree was later expanded by Khodor ibn-Michindi to streamline the bureaucratic management of command as well as establishing the two distinct service corps. Service Components Infantry The combat role of infantry in Hamalfite doctrine is to seize and hold positions on the battlefield and within the field against enemy attack or to assist in a supporting or primary role in the seizing of a position from the enemy. In open-ground combat the infantry is often designated between defensive roles to project the vital components, supplies, and individuals of the army/protected by the army or regular field security operations while in offensive operations they assume a defensive line that maintains and advances the functional front of the army, where everything behind is the vital components and the supporting equipment. Cavalry The defined role of the cavalry is to seek and engage the enemy at the field of battle, using maneuverability and shock to disrupt enemy formations or operations, or to recon and scout routes of travel or maneuver on the field of battle. The cavalry component is the main assault force of the Hamalfite military. The use of cavalry is often as well extended to skirmishing the enemy and disrupting their own reconnaissance patrols in the field to disrupt the enemy information and logistics network. See also: the levees Artillery The artillery corp is tasked with the supporting role of combat and operational duties not limited by phase or nature of the battle. Under the communicated direction of field officers and back-line officers the artillery corp provides support in defense and attack by using their fire to improve the 'shock' of the soldiers. Or in the case of sieges to batter and wear down the enemy defenses and act as a controlled denial of areas or structures. Jannisaries The Janissary component of the army is not so much an individual branch as it is a distinction between origin of the soldiers and the role of Janissary can be in any section of the sections of the land army. Though there are a handful of strictly Jannisary-based brigades of cavalry and infantry. Personnel Ranks in the Jiyeesha Staff Corp and Specialists Parallel rank designations exist within the Jiyeesha encompassing specialized roles in the field or along the chain of command. Generally existing between the rank of sepoy and Mosa'id. In rank titling soldiers holding specialist fields are designated officially and formally by first their rank followed by their specialist position. The recognized positions are: Specialists Soldiers without specialist skill sets are designated to combat or security operations, where security positions may be in rotation with specialist ranks granted their availability for the moment and the importance of their roll. New recruits who hold a civilian profession and are certified as an expert in the given field (ex. Magi to chaplain, blacksmith to engineer) are promoted over the junior enlisted ranks to that of a specialist field after basic training and outfitting. Staff Officers Senior specialist personnel promoted to a commissioned officer rank are often rolled into an officer rank pertinent to their previous NCO roles. In an administrative function these positions assist the executive commander in daily operations by cutting the amount of daily and routine assignments that would be otherwise assigned to him. These ranks - formally aristocratic - have evolved into a bureaucracy of trained personnel as opposed to assignment by name and importance in Hamalfite nobility. These were created by Caliph Khodor. Equipment Historically the military of Haison has made very little use of actual armor. Even among some Emirs it was uncommon to use heavy protective gear, out of the cost and the disadvantages in hot desert climate. Though those that could afford it made sure to purchase suits of scaled plate or mail cloaks. Often-times this was reinforced with minor use of plates, to retain ultimate mobility and relative comfort in the sun-drenched deserts. In the military reforms of the Saffersamid the equipment of the Jiyeesha became much more standardized, going through phases of fashion. The current equipment of the modern Jiyeesha is also much akin to that of the Jannisaries. They both are required to wear sand-brown fatigues. A protective chest plate is to be worn above the fatigues or under it to stay the effect of arrows, where as the arms are left unprotected to retain mobility. A steel helmet with a nose guard is worn. Weapons vary from outfit to outfit. Most often it is the spear and pike that is common with a short-sword for close melees. Bows and crossbows are also used in supportive roles alongside the spear and sword, on foot and on the horse. The artillery corp makes common use of mobile twelve-pound howitzer cannons and two-and-a-half inch caliber field guns. Category:New Voldrania Category:Haisonuuna Category:Organizations